Chapter 66 Reeds and Rushes...Injustice
After a commotion on Zhuque Street, news of Wang Bochang's return to Beijing spread like wildfire throughout the city.
The incident, which had been forgotten by people several years ago, has now become a topic of conversation again.
While old stories may not be new, there are always some that haven't been heard before. Moreover, the fact that it's a scandal from a prominent and wealthy family makes it even more captivating.
Those who are usually high and mighty are nothing more than skeletons and flesh after they take off their fine clothes and silks. They also have to urinate and defecate, and are no different from the lowly.
Having endured the humiliation inflicted by high-ranking officials and nobles for so long, discussing their scandals brought a sense of cathartic relief.
Wang Bochang stayed indoors, pretending not to hear the gossip outside.
Fu Sui cornered him on Zhuque Street, had his name shouted, and forced him to show his face. It was almost as if he had people walking around the capital shouting, "Wang Bochang is back!"
Those humiliating and shameful things from a few years ago have been brought up again and are still spreading so quickly in the streets. If it weren't for Fu Sui's involvement, he would rather die than not find a block of tofu to smash his head against.
Wang Bochang stayed at home for several days and realized that he really had no way to deal with Fu Sui.
As for ruining her reputation, she was a member of the imperial clan. Even if she were a pair of worn-out shoes from a brothel, as long as the emperor issued an edict, the family that was betrothed to her would have to hold their noses and welcome her into their home in a grand manner.
If we're talking about finding fault with her, she's currently the living advertisement for the current emperor's efforts to maintain harmony among the imperial family and show compassion for orphans and widows. She's in cahoots with the emperor, so unless they find evidence of her plotting rebellion, no one can touch her.
Wang Bochang wished he could strip Fu Sui naked and throw her into the street to vent his anger, but unfortunately the Princess's mansion was heavily guarded, and Fu Sui was always surrounded by a retinue, so he couldn't succeed.
He repeated himself to calm down several times. The important thing now is not Fu Sui; there will be plenty of ways to deal with her later.
The people looking for Tian Dali's family were sent out again, and the people checking the dikes were expected to return soon. Wang Bochang had also returned to the capital, but the emperor made no further mention of the Feng and Wang families.
After several days of regular court sessions, the emperor showed no intention of summoning Wang Bochang to the palace for a formal audience, and Xue Guangting also did not make an exception to attend court. It was as if those matters concerning the canal transport, tribute, and land had never existed.
Wang's faction was hoping the emperor would let the matter drop, so the Ministry of Justice symbolically summoned Wang Bochang to the government office and then pretended to be confused.
Strangely, neither Wang's faction nor Gao Zi'ang's die-hard imperial supporters spoke up. The entire court seemed to have forgotten about the matter, as if the emperor's summons of Wang Bochang to the capital was merely a whim, not due to the Wang family's serious case.
The Imperial Guard's duty station is not in the Imperial City. The Seventh Prince has been running to the Imperial City every day lately for some reason. Even when he is in the city, he doesn't go to see Tian Ganyou or Yue Shanling. He just hangs around in front of the palace gate.
Since the end of October, one thing after another has happened, and even the Nine Temples and Five Supervisors are in a state of panic. No one has time to pay attention to this hostage from a foreign race.
The Seventh Prince knew that now was not the right time, but he was anxious because he didn't know when the lawsuits involving the officials from the Central Plains would be resolved. He couldn't wait any longer.
After wandering alone in front of the palace gates for several days, he finally mustered the courage to ask to see the emperor.
Standing in the spacious palace, the Seventh Prince's heart began to pound uncontrollably.
The palaces in the Central Plains were magnificent; he was awestruck when the emperor first held a banquet for him in the capital.
At that time, he only admired the colorful lacquer and glass and envied the thick pillars and tall beams. Now, standing in the same magnificent palace and facing the same kind saint, he felt a sense of unease and fear from the bottom of his heart.
The towering beams stretched endlessly, and the menacing dragon roared silently. He was like a lamb trapped in a bottomless pit from which he could never escape, forced to endure the hunter's scrutiny.
"What is it?" the emperor asked with a smile.
The seventh prince bent his knees and earnestly said, "I have a request, and I hope Your Majesty will grant it."
"Although I am born in Kule, my heart is with the Emperor. I am willing to spend my life cleaning the court and driving out the Japanese pirates. However, my name comes from the Kule royal family. As long as I call this name, I will consider myself a Kule person."
The seventh prince solemnly kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that you bestow upon me a Han name. From this day forward, I will only be a subject of the Han."
The sage remained silent, but the seventh prince could feel the sage's gaze falling on his head, slowly and probingly.
He lowered his head even further so that the sage might see his submission and his reverence.
A soft laugh came from ahead, followed by a gentle and distant voice: "What name do you like?"
The seventh prince's mind raced. The sage certainly didn't want him to name the child himself, but he really did have a request regarding the name. Regardless of whether the sage would blame him for taking matters into his own hands, he had to say it.
"Your Majesty, I only beg you not to bestow upon the country a surname."
Now the emperor was genuinely curious. The seventh prince wanted a Han name, and they could simply grant him one; the foreign officials in the court wouldn't be affected by his presence or absence. However, those foreign officials who surrendered all considered it an honor to be granted the imperial surname, but he refused.
"Why?"
"Because...because there is an old custom in the Central Plains that people with the same surname cannot marry. I have someone I love and do not wish to share the same surname with her."
Once he was granted the imperial surname, he could no longer marry Yanshan.
Even without the Seventh Prince saying it, the Emperor could guess the reason. He looked at the grassland man kneeling in the hall with amusement. He seemed rough and uncouth, yet he could abandon his tribal and royal identity for the sake of love.
"But what did she say to you?"
The question startled the Seventh Prince, and suddenly he understood why the princess had said that Salt Mountain was a caged bird. Wasn't this magnificent palace a cage as well? And wasn't he, now hoping that the sage would grant his request, just like a bird begging for food from its master?
If a caged bird falls in love with a bird in the sky, it will want to fly away. A bird that wants to fly away is not the obedient and docile bird that its owner desires.
Yanshan cannot fall in love with the birds in the sky, at least not first.
The seventh prince argued somewhat hastily, "It was I who coveted her beauty and harbored wicked thoughts. She is a well-educated and courteous woman and is unaware of my intentions."
Whether he knew it or not, the emperor knew perfectly well when the Seventh Prince and Yanshan had met and what they had said, but he didn't care.
Using Yanshan to keep a Kule person is not a good deal, but since Yanshan is willing and she can marry happily, Peng Wang, who loves his daughter dearly, should also show some appreciation.
The emperor pulled a piece of paper from the table: "In that case, I will bestow upon him the surname Xiao, and the given name... Jiangming, what do you say?"
The name given by the emperor probably had a meaning, but unfortunately the seventh prince was not well-educated and could not think of the source for the time being. He could only express his gratitude by saying things like "I am deeply grateful for the emperor's grace."
"Does Xiao Qing have a courtesy name?"
The emperor changed the title as soon as the name was bestowed.
The seventh prince paused for a moment before realizing he was being addressed, and hurriedly said no, then begged the sage to bestow a name upon him.
The emperor picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote "为式" on the paper.
When the news reached the princess's residence, Qin An couldn't understand it at all: "Why wasn't she granted the imperial surname, but instead was given the surname of the emperor's maternal uncle?"
Fu Sui looked at Qin An, who was still completely unaware of the situation: "If he takes the surname Fu, how can he marry Yanshan?"
Seeing Qin An's confusion turn into shock, Fu Sui smiled and nestled in his chair, pondering the name bestowed by the emperor.
The king solemnly commands, and Zhong Shanfu carries it out. Whether the state is in good or bad condition, Zhong Shanfu will understand.
He worked tirelessly day and night to serve one person.
Whose disloyal and disrespectful people did the emperor give such a name for?
The Prefect of the Capital, lifting the hem of his robe, jogged all the way to the Prefectural Office.
The morning court session had just ended. Apart from a few generals of the Imperial Guard who needed to practice winter training and left in a hurry, the other officials leisurely came out of the palace. If they met an official they knew well, they could chat for a few words in front of the palace gate.
The Prefect of the Capital had no time for such matters. The Prefectural Office of the Capital was always busy with countless miscellaneous tasks throughout the year, never having a moment's rest.
It's no wonder that no one holds the position of Prefect of the Capital for long; someone has to take over every two or three years. The current Prefect of the Capital has only been in office for a little over a year, yet he already seems to have several times more gray hair. Every day he wakes up to face an endless stream of tasks, and the Prefect of the Capital doesn't even know if he can survive until next year.
Once outside the imperial city, the streets were already bustling with pedestrians. The Prefect of the Capital was dressed in ordinary clothes, so he could no longer run and could only walk briskly.
There are still many official matters piling up on the desk, and even working day and night, it's not certain that they can all be dealt with.
As the year draws to a close, from the palace banquet on New Year's Eve to the lantern festival on Lantern Festival, fire prevention, theft prevention, and crowd control in the streets and alleys are all top priorities. When things get really busy, there's not even time to catch your breath.
The Prefect of the Capital sighed deeply, realizing he needed to finish his work before the end of the twelfth lunar month so he could have time to prepare for the New Year.
He rushed over in a hurry, then hurriedly retreated.
The street vendor, used to this kind of situation, didn't wait for the Prefect of the Capital to speak. He crossed his legs and calmly pointed to the vegetable buns on his cart: "Three coins each."
The Prefect of the Capital carefully counted out six copper coins from his purse and handed them to the vendor. The vendor deftly wrapped two vegetable buns.
Yesterday, the Prefect of the Capital was so busy that he didn't get to rest until midnight. It was fortunate that the Prefectural Government provided him with accommodation, so that every Prefect could rest as soon as he finished his work and start working again as soon as he opened his eyes, saving him the time of traveling back and forth. Otherwise, it would be unknown how long it would take him to get home.
Even so, he still overslept this morning and missed having breakfast before court.
The Prefect of the Capital was clutching his vegetable bun, about to step onto the steps of the Capital Prefecture government office to return to his desk and deal with the endless official business while munching on the bun, when someone grabbed his arm, causing his foot to veer off the steps and fall to the bottom.
"I beg Your Honor to seek justice for me!"
Before the Prefect of the Capital could even stand still, he heard a wail coming from beside him.
He curled his lip, thinking, "If you want to find the Prefect, go to the Wannian County Office or the Chang'an County Office. Why come to my Jingzhao Prefecture Office? He's already busy enough every day. Does he have to deal with those trivial cases too?"
The Prefect of the Capital turned his head and saw a young woman dressed in ordinary clothes, not like someone from a wealthy family.
He was about to kindly advise her that if she had a grievance, she should report it to the county government; the cases tried in the capital prefecture were all capital offenses, not places for settling disputes among neighbors. The woman then suddenly knelt down and began to weep.
Unlike the Censorate and the Court of Judicial Review, whose offices were located within the Imperial City and were not easily accessible to ordinary people, the Prefectural Government of the Capital was situated in Guangde Ward. Just a few steps away were residential houses, and if the neighbors on either side were making a lot of noise, the Prefect of the Capital could hear it all from his office.
As soon as the woman knelt down, the passersby immediately surrounded her.
The Prefect of the Capital tried to pull hard on his robe with his free hand, but the woman, though wailing and out of breath, held onto his hem tightly with one hand, making it impossible for him to escape.
As the crowd grew larger, the Prefect of the Capital had no choice but to help the woman up to avoid being misunderstood as an official abusing his power.
He still had the steamed buns he had just bought in his hand; he didn't know if he would be able to eat today. The Prefect of the Capital supported the woman's arm with his hand: "Get up first, then we can talk."
The woman did not respond and refused to get up. She just kept lying on the ground and crying, repeatedly begging the magistrate to make a decision.
The Prefect of the Capital had no interest in being addressed as "Your Excellency" by everyone, nor could he forcefully pull him away. He could only advise, "Get up first. If you have any grievances, go to the Prefectural Office to speak. There are people coming and going. If a woman like you cries in the street, people will gossip."
The woman clung to the straw, refusing to let go no matter what. She raised her tear-streaked face and pleaded, "Your Honor, I have no other choice. I beg you to give me justice!"
The Prefect of the Capital sighed inwardly, thinking that this woman, Qi Rong, must have truly suffered injustice.
Those common people probably don't know many characters, so how could they distinguish between county and prefectural offices? They just kowtow to anyone dressed in red and green. Oh well, why bother with so much? Since they've come all the way to the capital prefecture, let's just accept their case.
Thinking this, the Prefect of the Capital advised, "If you truly have a grievance, the Prefectural Government can certainly help you. However, do not cry in front of the gate. Come with me to the Prefectural Government office, and we can talk things over slowly."
The woman completely disregarded the preceding sentences; upon hearing only the phrase "to stand up for you," she asked with delight and eagerness, "Does Your Excellency truly intend to stand up for me?"
The Prefect of the Capital was focused on persuading her to get up, so upon hearing this, he casually replied, "Of course."
As soon as she finished speaking, the woman released the hem of the Prefect's robe, crawled back two steps on her knees, solemnly bowed, and kowtowed onto the cold stone pavement.
"I am Yu from Yunyang County, and I accuse Xue Guangting, the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, of coercing the people and raping a woman!"
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Author's Note: Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War
Let us remember history and forge ahead.
First of all, thank you for reading this far. I would like to recommend three ancient romance novels.
They are respectively:
"Building Machines on the Ruins" ID: 9780040
"Did the Girl Become a King of a Different Surname Today?" ID: 9766041
"Secret Recipes for the Underworld" ID: 9801023
I would call the author of "Building Machines on the Ruins" the Yu Hua of the ancient romance novel world, leaving the pain to the readers and keeping the joy for himself (just kidding, sorry Mr. Yu Hua).
Its opening may not be amazing, but its story is poignant. The protagonist has seen darkness, yet remains lively and cheerful; she has a disability, but never gives up her pursuit.
"Has the Girl Become a King of a Different Surname Today?" is a story of a strong female protagonist's growth. It begins with a very traditional domestic power struggle, with the female protagonist moving from the backyard to the imperial court, showing ambition and scheming.
Unfortunately, the female lead is too oblivious to emotions. Faced with the male lead's attentiveness and shyness, she always wonders, "Why does the cat keep making noise?"
"The Little Secret Recipe for the Underworld" is a sweet story about two little foxes who redeem and support each other.
They are just tiny beings among millions of living things, yet they have each other and their own beautiful little world.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
